


about us

by ackermanx



Category: Prince of Stride: Alternative (Anime)
Genre: Gen, more centered on characterization I guess, this is mostly from nana's pov I'm not sure how that happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 20:16:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6438709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ackermanx/pseuds/ackermanx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"their relationship was never a straighforward one."</p>
            </blockquote>





	about us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sentientstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sentientstars/gifts).



> hello there!! 
> 
> in the perfect universe, I would get to write a fic for each of your three prompts. but sadly, time is an issue (SHAKES FIST), so I only got to do one :"D. also, I took a few liberties with the plot, so some things may not be exactly as they are in the anime. nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> have a good day~

(Their relationship was never a straightforward one.)

"Riku! Fujiwara! Over here!" Nana frantically waves, wondering if it's really possible to spot her small figure in such a large crowd. They were about to be late for their train - if they missed her now, Honan would never make it on time. 

Fortunately, Riku and Fujiwara had noticed her, as evidenced by the sea of alarmed people parting to create a clear path straight towards where Nana and the others were waiting. 

They arrive at the same time, out of breath but still managing to argue with each other. 

"Sakurai-san! Did you see... Do you know... who won?" Riku manages to get out, flopping down rather ungracefully on a nearby chair. Fujiwara offers no additional comment, choosing instead to silently catch his breath with his hands on his knees. 

"Umm…I think it was a tie? It looked pretty close to me..." Nana trails off, nervously glancing between the two. 

Heath, seeming to pick up on her distress, clears his throat. "Oi, you two. Don't make Nana more nervous than she already is. Besides - " he glances at the clock on the wall - "if we aren't on our train in ten minutes, we'll never vet to Saisei on time."

Suddenly, Riku picks himself up from the chair, and Fujiwara straightens up from his resting position. Nana instinctively knows what they're going to do; in her mind, she (correctly) predicts the few seconds of eye contact, the intense concentration as they dash off, even the astonished expressions on her teammates' faces as they watch the duo sprint off towards their train stop. 

And when Hozumi let's out an indignant "wait for us!", Nana has to hide a grin behind her hand. 

 

(They were always pushing each other to do better, to take that extra step.)

In the little covered area where she always oversees practices, Nana waits for the runners to take their places. She stares at the screen of the tablet, watching the little dots representing the Honan Stride Club move around the screen and finally settle down. 

And as she's waiting for her cue to start, she starts worrying. "Have I done enough?" the voice in her head decides to ask. "Am I really bringing out the best in Honan? Could I improve? How do I im - "

"Sakurai-san! We're ready!" The chirpy voice of Hozumi Kohinata crackles through the headset, breaking Nana out of her spiral of panic. She fumbles a little with the headset, bringing the mic closer to her mouth, takes a few deep breaths, and presses the Start button on the tablet. 

"Ayumu-kun! 3…2…1…go!"

Nana begins to closely monitor the dots, keeping track of who's waiting where and when they have to get ready. It isn't long before she gets back into her zone, finding the right timing and calling out "go!" like she had done before dozens of times. 

Of course, everything runs smoothly until it's Fujiwara's turn to relay with Riku. 

Nana hears the collision first. But as seconds pass by without any response from the other end, she begins to get worried. Placing the headset gently down on the table, Nana rushes out to meet the others. 

"Riku! Are you alright?" The worry she felt must have been evident on her face, because Riku breaks into a huge grin as soon as he sees her. 

"Ah! Don't worry about me. It was just a little bump - in fact, I'm feeling better already!"

Nana let's out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I couldn't hear anything, so I was worried...I'm so sorry! I think I gave the signal a little too early - "

"It was fine." Fujiwara's calm voice cuts through her slightly panicked one. "Actually... next time, can you signal me a little earlier?"

"Earlier?!? But Riku won't be able to catch up!"

"He will." Ignoring Nana's unvoiced questions, Fujiwara turns to Riku. "Don't slow down."

Taken aback by the sudden assult, Riku simply stares. "Eh?? What do you mean?"

"You tend to slow down when you reach the takeover zone. Don't slow down; it affects the timing."

"But I wasn't slowing down - !"

"Oi, don't argue every time a problem comes up." Tired, Hozumi sits down heavily onto the ground. "Say, let's take those statements as suggestions. Why don't we try them out and see how it goes? If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. If it does, then we'll keep doing that."

After a few tense moments, Fujiwara mumbles a quick "sure" and heads back to his starting position. Riku stares at his retreating figure for a while before turning away and heading towards his own starting spot. 

Walking back to the shelter, Nana can't help but worry. Sure, Riku and Fujiwara have had their share of arguments, but that doesn't stop her from wondering if this is the one that'll be the last straw. She's still nervous as she gives the signal to go, anxiously watching and waiting.

And when the sound of the successful relay reaches her ears, Nana reminds herself, yet again, that she really shouldn't have worried.

 

(But even though they may seem like they're falling apart, they always manage to get past the arguments and the disagreements in the end.)

"Fujiwara! You coming?"

Startled, Fujiwara drops his clothes on the ground. He isn't completely sure what he's expecting, but the sight of Nana and Riku standing in the doorway definitely isn't one of them.

"Coming where?" He manages to pull off an indifferent tone of voice, even though the inside of his brain is spinning with confusion. He didn't remember the team agreeing to go anywhere after practice... but then again, he didn't pay much attention to these kinds of things anyway. 

"Home! Riku and I live in approximately the same direction, so I wondered if you wanted to walk with us too!" Nana practically beams at him. "That is, if you live in the same direction too... I don't want you to go out of your way or anything."

"No, it's... it's fine." Come to think of it, he did recall passing Riku a few times before on the way to school.

Fujiwara picks up his clothes, suddenly conflicted. He had prepared to practice on his own for another hour or two, but now…

It was only one day, right? He could miss one day. 

Gently placing his clothes in his bag, he zips everything up and shuts his locker. 

"Yeah. I'm coming."

 

(Because they're friends, the three of them. And really, that's all that matters.)


End file.
